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Expressions of Interest for Consultancy Opportunity

IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation

Mediterranean Forest Expert to support IUCN-Med for organising
technical sessions on the 8th Med Forest Week

Deadline for applications: 15 May 2024 at 23:59

Call for Expressions of Interest

Introduction

Silva Mediterranea, FAO and several other Mediterranean partners led by the European Forest
Institute (EFI) are organizing the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week (MFW), to take place in Barcelona
from 4th – 8th November 2024.

The MFW serves as a platform for cooperation among researchers, policymakers, and
stakeholders, fostering dialogue on the challenges faced by Mediterranean forests, and this year it
will focus on the restoration of forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean region.

Despite the continuous increase in forest cover over the past decades, the region faces
challenges, including 80 million hectares of degraded land and 400 000 hectares burnt every year
by wildfires. Climate change threatens 16% of animal and plant species in Mediterranean forests,
while severity and length of droughts shrinks the distribution ranges of the most important tree
species of the Mediterranean. The 8th MFW will delve into solutions and initiatives for the
restoration and sustainable management of these ecosystems.

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) works to bridge gaps between
science, policy, management and action in order to conserve nature and accelerate the transition
towards sustainable development in the Mediterranean. The Ecosystem Resilience and Spatial
Planning strategic line focuses on the interaction between humans and ecosystems, and how
healthy natural resources are directly related to human well-being. Forests play a vital role in this
relationship, as they can help mitigate climate change, provide sustainable livelihood and varied
ecosystem services, having an impact on human´s health and supporting relevant Mediterranean
markets, including sustainable tourism. Hence the importance of maintaining resilient forests and
sustainable relationships with humans, by using IUCN´s resources such as Nature-based
Solutions, Forest Landscape Restoration or the Restoration Opportunities Assessment
Methodology (ROAM).

IUCN Med, as part of the Joint Organising Committee, is one of the lead organisers of a plenary
session on Mediterranean Forests Biodiversity and will provide input to the organisation of other
sessions (Forest Landscape Restoration, Forest Adaptation). Due to a current high workload in
the IUCN-Med Ecosystem Resilience & Spatial Planning Team, IUCN-Med is looking for a
forest expert in the Mediterranean to support the organisation of the technical sessions.

For reference, each plenary session will last for 120 minutes. Plenary sessions will be organised
as follows:

Terms of Reference for Consultancy – Med Forest Week – by 15 May 2024 at 23:59 CET

• Preparatory webinars: each plenary session will be preceded by one or more preparatory

• Posters: posters related to each session will be displayed in the hall where coffee breaks will

• The Plenary Session of the Med Forest Week will have the following structure:

of the SOMF and the MFRA and the outcomes of the webinars.
b. Keynote speeches, by 2 Keynote speakers who will further elaborate on the most

relevant aspects of the topic of the session. 15 minutes per speaker followed by 5
minutes Q&A for each keynote.

c. Panel discussion, where panellists (scientist, social scientist, policy makers, youth
representative working on the subject, practitioners, etc.) briefly present their views on
the topic (multiple interventions, 2 minutes each), with no slides. Chair may have initial
questions for the panellists, followed by open floor questions. Questions to the panel
include those collected during the webinars and from the audience. The session lead
can decide on the number of panellists (suggested to be between 4 and 6 panellists).

d. Poster teaser. One-minute presentation of posters related to the session, with 5 to 8
posters in a row. One slide per presenter for a 1-minute presentation.

• Summary of the session: an expert in the topic (rapporteur) designated by the chair will

Objective of the Consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to support IUCN-Med in contributing to the 8th Mediterranean
Forest Week on:

(Mediterranean Forests Biodiversity) during the 8th Med Forest Week.

Restoration) and 4 (Forest Adaptation).

Consortium for Biodiversity.

Description of the Assignment

The consultant will be responsible of the following activities and tasks:

potential panellists, keynote speakers, etc.). (May – Nov) (1 day)

IUCN Med is involved in. (May-June) (2 day)

Terms of Reference for Consultancy – Med Forest Week – by 15 May 2024 at 23:59 CET

webinars, with a keynote speaker per webinar). Record the results of the discussions, to be
brought to the plenary session. (May – Oct) (3 days)

organizers. The concept note shall include the number of preparatory webinars and
estimated dates and speakers. (25 May) (2 days)

the suggestions provided by the MFW organizers. (May - October) (0.5 days)

(1 day)

Mediterranean Consortium for Biodiversity. (May – Nov) (1 day)

Deliverables

In relation to the above activities, the consultant will provide the following deliverables, by the
following tentative deadlines:

• Concept note finalised draft for Session 3 (25 May).

• Records of the preliminary webinars for Session 3, and summary of the most pertinent

• Report and inputs into recommendations/strategy (15 November).

Workload, Duration and Payment Schedule

The assignment is estimated at a total of up to 15 days, from 16 May 2024 to 30 November 2024
(event dates 4 – 8 November, expected to participate on site in Session 3: Mediterranean Forests
Biodiversity, scheduled for 5 November from 8.30 to 10.30 CET).

The payment structure proposed is as follows:

• 20% upon contract signature.

• 30% upon finalisation of all preparatory activities and delivery of concept notes (Activities 4

• 50% upon finalisation of all services and acceptance of deliverables by IUCN.

Supervision and coordination

The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of the Programme Officer for the
Ecosystem Resilience and Spatial Planning Team at IUCN-Med.

Profile and Application

Skills and Experience

The consultant must have the following skills, education and experience as a minimum:

• Sound understanding of IUCN relevant forest knowledge products and guidelines,

• Extensive knowledge of forest ecosystems and forestry management in the

• In-depth understanding of key challenges that Mediterranean forests face, including

Terms of Reference for Consultancy – Med Forest Week – by 15 May 2024 at 23:59 CET

• Knowledge of the latest research developments in forestry-related topics.

• Knowledge of nature-based solutions related to forests will be positively valued.

• Experience in workshop organisation and facilitation.

• Network of contacts on the subject in the Mediterranean.

• Membership of a relevant IUCN Commission (e.g. CEM, WCPA) or affiliation to an IUCN

• Availability and flexibility to participate in meetings during the preparation phase and to

How to apply

Interested candidates please send to Rosario Galán at rosario.galan@iucn.org with
arnau.teixidor@iucn.org in CC, by 15 May 2024 at 23:59 the following:

• Letter of motivation (can be in the body of the email), briefly explaining the following:

relationship.
o Justification of experience, expertise and capacity to carry out the tasks.
o Availability to conduct the work (attending meetings and travel to Barcelona to be

on-site).
o References of similar work successfully implemented (if not included in CV).
o Expected daily rate.

• Full CV.

Evaluation criteria

Criterion Weighting

Availability and flexibility to participate in Yes / No

preparatory meetings and to attend the

MFW on site.

Experience with sustainable management 30%
and/or restoration of Mediterranean forests
to improve biodiversity conservation and
the provision of ecosystem services.

Technical Expertise in Mediterranean 25%
forests sustainable management, climate
change challenges, restoration
opportunities, biodiversity conservation and
ecosystem services provision. Knowledge
of global applicable policy, in particular the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework and its application to the
Mediterranean forests context.

Relationship with IUCN: The applicant is 20%

member of an IUCN Commission or is

affiliated with an IUCN Member.

Cost (daily rate) 25%

Terms of Reference for Consultancy – Med Forest Week – by 15 May 2024 at 23:59 CET